THE New People’s Army must first prove their sincerity and show that they are united with their political wing in the quest for peace before any new negotiations can take place, the military said Friday.
“First they must be united in the goal of seeking peace and they must show sincerity by complying with all peace negotiation agreements, especially on the part calling for the cessation of attacks against government troops,” said Col. Edgard Arevalo, chief of the Armed Forces public affairs office.
Arevalo was responding to a question about what the military would seek if President Rodrigo Duterte decides to resume talks that he broke off with the communist rebels last week.
Earlier, he noted, the National Democratic Front negotiating panel headed by Fidel Agcaoili said that the NPA unilateral ceasefire would continue while Jorge Madlos, the top communist leader in Mindanao, said the ceasefire would end on Feb. 10.
“Before seeking any new peace negotiations with the government, the NPA must show that its leadership and units on the ground are united in the goal of seeking a just and lasting peace,” Arevalo said.
On Friday, Armed Forces chief Eduardo Año said he saw no reason for the President to declare Martial Law, even though peace talks with the communists have collapsed and Abu Sayyaf and other terrorist groups continue to pose a threat.
“Well right now the PNP [Philippine National Police] and the AFP can still operate within the prevailing situation with full control so right now I don’t see a reason why the President will declare Martial Law, although he has the discretion [and] authority based on the Constitution,” Año said.
He added that even if the President does declare Martial Law, there are checks and balances available through the Constitution.
And should the Chief Executive ever decides to do so, he said there are checks and balances available to ensure that its declaration are in accordance with Constitutional provisions.
“But right now, we don’t see the reason [for Martial Law],” he added.
Año earlier said that close military and police cooperation is one of the strategies which will be employed by the Duterte administration in defeating the NPA insurgency threat.
He made this statement during the sidelights of the Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Council (JPSCC) meeting in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Thursday.
“In our meeting this morning, we strengthened the mechanism of the JPSCC particularly the creation of joint cells at the different levels, so in our planning and actions, the Philippine National Police and the AFP, will be always together, down to the provincial level,” he said in Filipino.
The AFP and PNP also said they would intensify operations against the NPA.
“In view of the lifting of the unilateral ceasefire and the cancellation of the talks, we will intensify our operations together—the PNP and the AFP—to fight the NPA to defeat the armed group and put back into jail all those high-ranking personalities [earlier released to help in the peace negotiations],” he added.
At the moment, the AFP chief said there is no need to deploy additional troops in NPA hot spots in Northern and Eastern Mindanao as the military has enough forces in these areas.
